KYIV -- Hidden behind a dusty green sheet, all that remains of Kateryna Kolmykova’s store and warehouse are scorched, twisted metal shelves and piles of ash.
When the market where the premises were located was hit in a Russian drone and missile attack on June 16, it was the second time that Kolmykova had lost a business due to Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Four years earlier, she and her husband, Maksym, had left behind a chain of successful stores in Mariupol, as it was attacked by Russian forces which devastated the city before occupying it.
“This was our past life, after our second beginning,” she reflected, as she looked on the blackened ruins of the household goods outlet that they opened after arriving in Kyiv.
Now the couple must rebuild again.
Mariupol: From Dream To Nightmare
Before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the couple had eight stores in Mariupol, on Ukraine’s Sea of Azov coast. Maksym’s outlets dealt in home appliances while Kateryna sold handbags.
“Sometimes it feels like it didn't happen to me. I opened my first large store in 2015. Then, in 2018, a second one in the center of the city. It was a dream,” she said. “We were working, we knew what we were working for. It was that phase when the kids were growing up. The business was stable. We had money. It was time to live for ourselves. And that’s what we planned to do.”
She also performed in a local theater and enjoyed Mariupol’s beaches. But it was a full life that would be destroyed by war.
Russian forces advanced on the city and encircled it, laying siege to Ukrainian forces holed up in the massive Azovstal steelworks complex. Russian artillery pounded the city indiscriminately, leaving residential areas in rubble and killing thousands of people.
“The most frightening thing was not what we saw but what we heard,” said Kolmykova.
“It will probably stay with me for my whole life. When a house is burning and you can hear people screaming. There are no firefighters or doctors…you hear the screams of your neighbors, who are being burnt alive. And there’s nothing you can do.”
In March 2022, the family left Mariupol under fire. They headed first to western Ukraine before settling in Kyiv.
A Painful Parting
Kolmykova had lost her home and her business, but there was worse to come: bidding farewell to her 14-year-old son. The couple decided to send him away from war-torn Ukraine to complete his education in Israel. Then came October 7, 2023.
“It was a shock for me because I sent him off and paid the price of separation so that he would be safe. My life collapsed. For about a month and a half I was completely out of it. I got help from psychiatrists and psychologists,” Kolmykova said.
After finishing school, her son faced the choice of returning to Ukraine or remaining in Israel. He chose to remain. Now an Israeli citizen, he is serving in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
The Russian invasion has divided hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian families, and more than 5 million Ukrainians have left the country, according to UN figures.
“The only thing I can never forgive Russia for is that they have stolen time,” said Kolmykova.
“They caused my son to grow up prematurely and are now taking time from my parents, who are ageing…they say you should forgive. I will never forgive them this.”
A Second Start
Since fleeing Mariupol, she and her husband have lived in 15 different rented apartments.
“You realize you don’t even own a towel, bed linen, a plate to eat from, anything,” said Kolmykova.
The couple are among almost half a million internally displaced persons living in Kyiv. Some 20,000 of these have come from Mariupol. Housing is a huge problem for many of them, and it’s an issue the Russian authorities try to exploit.
“They called me from Mariupol and tried to tell me how great Putin is, how great Russia is. How Mariupol was doing great, how it was going to be like a new Las Vegas,” she said.
“There are people who have returned out of desperation. It’s a shame. We need them on our side.”
Kolmykova’s old apartment in Mariupol was partially burned out and is due to be demolished. The couple started again in Kyiv from scratch. She earned money performing in a theater while Maksym drove a truck.
Three years ago, they again went into business when they opened their store. It was a success, boosted by humorous promotional videos which Kolmykova posted online, and began to gain a loyal customer base.
On the night of the attack, one of these customers sent Kolmykova a photo of the store in flames. The couple immediately headed to the scene.
“I had just one fear: this is my only source of income, how will I pay the rent on my home? I need to pay by the first of the month,” she recalled.
Kolmykova also recorded a tearful video as she stood by the burning market, in which she said “it’s frustrating to start again from scratch after Mariupol. But it’s not as painful the second time.”
A month later, she said she regretted all the time and energy spent building up a new business only for it to be lost -- but remained “an optimistic person.”
The couple are now selling what remains of the stock that they had in their apartment or waiting for pickup at the post office. They said they had received thousands of messages of support and even donations since the attack.
This, said Kolmykova, means she has no right to give in.
“People say ‘you’re a strong family; the main thing is you’re alive.’ They say God doesn’t give people trials beyond what they can endure,” she said. “But what do I have this strength for? What is He preparing me for?”
